csanders

I removed them, and it performs the same, as far as I can tell.

Good point. The top one is probably just for looks. I thought maybe at least it would provide some support through collision modeling, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

So I was doing some experimenting with struts and such, to make my mobile kethane mining rig more robust. Disappointingly, a lot of strut placement didn't increase strength as much as it increased brittleness. Surprisingly, I discovered this very elastic design that holds up very well under stress. EDIT- The lesson: Sometimes struts will transfer forces to weak parts, and actually cause breaking. Sometimes, just let things flop around. Coming in at "high" speed (10m/s) for suspension testing Bam! Oh my... Almost there Break on through to the other side - with some help of a robotic arm. How it was done: Two separate girder segments were placed on the fuel tank side, one pointing up, the other down. EDIT: The top girder segment does nothing. The wheels are attached to the lower one, and the top one does not add any strength Attached wheel to the lower one, at the highest point the mouse would allow. Further testing is needed to see how well this works on low gravity bodies.

http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/robotic-arms-pack/ It comes with two arms. Both are on the ship. The big one is for the drill, the small one will be for fuel transfer.

My mobile kethane mining rig

You know how when you hit the launchpad, you have to wait a few seconds before the rocket "drops". When it drops, the physics is kicking in. Are you zooming the camera around before it drops? After seeing the video how they handle floating point precision issues, I think doing that may cause issues (something about how they handle frame's of reference for position and velocity). I can make my rockets explode if I zoom out fast in map view when the rocket drops. Maybe you're doing that, or something similar, and it causes a crucial part to break. Try not touching anything until the rocket drops. (I'm kinda grasping at straws here, I admit)

It's key to know how to set a port as a target, and the target mode navball. 1) when you're close (around 100-200m), target the other ships docking port (this will be called "ship 2", you are currently flying "ship 1"). 2) make sure navball is in target mode. Point noise to retro vector, thrust (gently) until the speed is as close to 0 as you can get it 3) point craft at target. 4) use "]" and "[" to switch control to ship 2. EDIT: Make sure you click on the port you just targeted, and "control from here" /EDIT. Target ship 1's docking port, point at the target. When you are pointed, use SAS to stop rotation (or time warp for a split second - is that cheating??) 5) Switch back to ship 1. Thrust to about 2 to 8 m/s (depending how far you are, and how fast you can decelerate with RCS) Both ships should be pointed at each other, and moving towards each other. NEVER ROTATE AGAIN FROM THIS POINT ON. 6) Now use IKJL to keep the velocity vector icon centered on the target icon. If the target icon drifts left from where you're pointing, translate left (don't rotate). Drifts right - translate right. etc. Don't use a lot of translation. How much translation? O = velocity vector icon * = target vector icon v = where you're pointing *Ov - this is not enough, the velocity vector is between the target and where you're pointing O*v - this is about right. I try to keel the target icon equal distance between the velocity vector and where you're pointing. O *v - probably too much. When you're close, reduce speed to around .2m/s Note: if you do what I did above, you could do it from the map view if you knew the distance the ships are apart (with the exception of targeting the ports)

Just finished my first successful Eve return last night. Done with my 160 ton Phalanx Mark II lander (phalanx because it looks like a wall of shields (Mark II because the first one was comically inadequate). In testing, it can land at 200 meters without rocket aid (parachutes only), and return to orbit. It could probably successfully do a sea-level landing/orbit return, but I haven't tested to confirm. I way over-engineered my tug and return craft (Note, this was too unstable, so I had to turn off some reaction wheels, separate the return craft, and fly that by itself to eve, where I re-docked and re-fueled from the tug). The thing is a tank when it comes to landing. I've hit the surface at 6m/s on Eve, and 10m/s on Kerbin without problems. Take off from Eve. It has 7 asparagus stages (3 on outer layer, 3 inner, 1 core) with an extra stage (the smaller tanks) that provide extra TWR during early ascent. Note the two reaction wheels on the outer stage. The placement ended up being key. It's a unstable craft, and the aerospike engines don't vector, so I originally had one reaction wheel in the center core (on the second to last stage), but I couldn't re-orbit from low altitudes. Removing that wheel from the center core, and putting them on the first asparagus stage that decouples made all the difference. Outer asparagus and extra stage gone. Jeb returning to return ship.

Some FYI: your Orbital Inclination in the highest latitude you can reach from your orbit, so if you want to land at X longitude, Y latitude, make sure your inclination >= Y.

Hey, I just found an upgrade to give n-body calculations in a solar system identical to our own: http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/

Thought I would give Eve a shot. Here's a pic of the 3 man return vessel with the 1 man lander I dubbed the "Phalanx Lander" Coming down. Woot! Landed! Turns out that thing can barely make past 50K, much less orbit. But, Genefred Kerman made a safe landing. Next up - Phalanx Lander Mark II. This one has actually been tested, and can safely launch from 3K on Eve. Now I just have to get it there.

Pumping Aerobrake Applying Launching Pad Firing retro-rockets ironically

You might just have to play with nodes more. Make sure you align your plane with Duna before you arrive, and try to make it so either the AN or DN is where you encounter Duna. If the projected PE disappears (but it still shows an encounter) that means you're going to hit Duna.

I choose to go to Eve tonight, not because it is easy, but because it is hard.